FIFA 13 | Producer Tour Gameplay Review

I was lucky enough to attend the UK leg of the FIFA 13 Producer Tour as Dave Rutter was in town to provide us more details about the 5 BIG gameplay features and give us importantly the chance to have a day of hands-on with an early build of the game and ask him some questions.

[<a href=”http://storify.com/sweetpatchtv/fifa-13-producer-tour-gameplay-review” target=”_blank”>View the story “FIFA 13 | Producer Tour Gameplay Review” on Storify</a>]<br /> <h1>FIFA 13 | Producer Tour Gameplay Review</h1> <h2>I was lucky enough to attend the UK leg of the FIFA 13 Producer Tour as Dave Rutter was in town to provide us more details about the 5 BIG gameplay features and give us importantly the chance to have a day of hands-on with an early build of the game and ask him some questions.</h2> <p>Storified by Sweetpatch TV &middot; Thu, May 31 2012 19:33:55</p> <div>undefinedAkamaihd</div> <div> <h2>Producer Presentation</h2> <p>Dave Rutter kicked off the day with a short presentation onthe gameplay goals for FIFA 13.</p> <p><br></p> <p>EA’s goal for FIFA 13 is about <i>“Capturing the drama andunpredictability of real world football”.</i></p> <p><br></p> <p>This was recently endorsed by the great man himself, Jose Mourinho,after defeat in the Champions League semi final: <i>“One of the great things about footballis that it is unpredictable”.</i></p> <p><br></p> <p>And this is what EA are looking to achieve with FIFA 13’s BIG5 Gameplay Features by:</p> <p>- <b>Delivering freedom and creativity in attack</b></p> <p>&nbsp; o&nbsp;&nbsp;Attacking intelligence</p> <p>&nbsp; o&nbsp;&nbsp;Complete Dribbling</p> <p>&nbsp; o&nbsp;&nbsp;Tactical Free Kicks</p> <p>- <b>Creating a true battle for possession</b></p> <p>&nbsp; o&nbsp;&nbsp;Player Impact Engine</p> <p>&nbsp; o&nbsp;&nbsp;1st Touch Control</p> </div> <div> <h2>Gameplay Time</h2> <p>Before I describe how I found FIFA 13, I need to firstexplain how I felt this time last year when I first got my hands on FIFA12.&nbsp; I was lucky enough to get quite afew early plays of FIFA 12, but at no point did I actually ever feel taken inby the game.&nbsp; I even remember questioningmyself if I should still be getting myself up from Cornwall to these events, asI was just not feeling the game.&nbsp; I thinkperhaps on reflection the reason was that with FIFA 12, much of the focus wason the introduction of the Impact Engine, Tactical Defending (something I havestill not mastered) and Precision Dribbling (a feature I rarely use as I’m apassing man myself).&nbsp; So none of the key newfeatures in FIFA 12’s gameplay were really playing to my preferences.</p> <p><br></p> <p>With FIFA 13, from the first time I picked up the controllerand got in to a game, I got my old “I just love playing FIFA” feeling backagain!&nbsp; So what was it in FIFA 13 thatmade me feel this way and kept me playing the game all day, until we were escortedout of the studios?</p> </div> <div>undefinedAkamaihd</div> <div><b><u>So does FIFA 13 “deliver the freedom and creativity in attack” we were promised?</u></b><br><b><br></b> <div><b>Attacking Intelligence&nbsp;</b><br><b><i><br></i></b></div> <div><b><i>Off ball runs</i></b> <p>One of the biggest frustrations with FIFA 12 is when youattack and your fellow striker and midfielders make what seem like “idiot” runsand never take up a natural attacking position to either receive the ball orattack the ball in the box.&nbsp; With FIFA 13you immediately notice as you attack and trigger forward runs the players makemuch more intelligent and decisive runs for you.&nbsp; Well that was very refreshing.&nbsp; You also notice the number of attackers helpingyou has increased and with the intelligence of those runs vastly improved,attacking becomes a joy again as you have many positive options to takeadvantage of.</p> <p><br></p> <p>A subtle but noticeable addition is also the intelligencethat has been added to players to curve and stutter their runs to attempt tostay onside.&nbsp; If you delay your pass toolong they will still stray offside but the stutter animation is a good visualtrigger for you to time your passes effectively.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The new capability for attackers to think a couple of movesahead is most noticeable when you attack down one wing and you can see yourfull back or winger on the opposite wing advance forwards and if you move theball across the pitch they become available to receive a pass or take a shot asthey have anticipated the potential.</p> <p><br></p> <p>My favourite moment of seeing the benefits of the new attackingAI was when I was Chelsea playing against the CPU who were Arsenal.&nbsp; Walcott attacked me down the right wing andhas he prepared to drive in a cross RvP accelerated across my defenders toposition himself between my 2 centre backs and side footed home the cross.Another definite wow moment which I watched back a few times on the replay tosee if what I thought had actually happened (and it had).</p> <p><br><b><i>Through Balls</i></b> <p>The next &nbsp;thing Inoticed was that the triggering of through balls was so much more effective,even pleasurable!&nbsp; I used to use thethrough ball as a way of regularly creating effective attacks, but with recentversions of FIFA this capability had been tuned down, to the point in FIFA 12where you could have a striker in a decent channel but invariably the through ballwould be frustratingly intercepted by the defender.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Not in FIFA 13, it is a joy to watch as you angle a ballfrom midfield to your wingers/attackers and you watch the player as he bendshis run around the defender to receive it in space and either have a run ongoal or obtain a good position to deliver a cross.&nbsp; This was one of the best examples of seeing thenew attacking intelligence in operation.&nbsp;A real positive improvement and provided some lovely “wow” moments as anaccurate through ball was played down the channel as your attacker angled theirrun beautifully in preparation o receive the ball and either get a shot in ordeliver a killer ball. </p> <p><br></p> <p>This is certainly not effective every time so is not an easyway to attack, but if you get it right with your time the outcome is attacking ecstasy.</p> </div> </div> <div>undefinedAkamaihd</div> <div><b><i>Flick-on Headers</i></b> <p>As a diehard centre forward for all my playing career, I spend a lot of the time watching how strikers react in the game. One key frustration before has been how difficult/random it is to get your centre forward to flick on goal kicks effectively to a colleague. From the first time I received a goal kick in FIFA 13 I found I naturally rose for the header and it was easy to direct the ball to my intended receiver.&nbsp; It is now much more effective and accurate and greatly appreciated.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Full details of what&nbsp;<b>Attacking Intelligence</b>&nbsp;has been developed to deliver can be found below….</p> </div> <div>FIFA 13 | BIG Feature No. 1 = Attacking IntelligenceElectronic Arts has announced five game-changing innovations that will bring revolutionary changes to EA SPORTS FIFA 13 along with the la…</div> <div>undefinedAkamaihd</div> <div><b>Complete Dribbling</b> <div><b><br></b> <p>As described earlier, my gameplay is not based too mucharound dribbling, but I did give it a go to see how I found it.&nbsp; You now hold down the left and right triggerstogether and you enter Complete Dribbling mode.&nbsp;This gives you the capability to dribble accurately at slower speeds, shieldthe ball and face up the defender and then accelerate away from them. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Full details of what <b>Complete Dribbling</b> has been developedto deliver can be found below….</p> </div> </div> <div>FIFA 13 | BIG Feature No. 2 = Complete DribblingElectronic Arts has announced five game-changing innovations that will bring revolutionary changes to EA SPORTS FIFA 13 along with the la…</div> <div>undefinedAkamaihd</div> <div><b>Tactical Free Kicks</b> <p><br></p> <p>So did I become a set piece specialist?&nbsp; Unfortunately not during the gameplay testtime we had.&nbsp; The new free kicks offermany more variations to what you can do when you get a free kick (or have todefend one).&nbsp; I very much like the scopethat the new free kicks have and just hope it won’t be exploited online.&nbsp; </p> <p><br></p> <p>Full details on what <b>Tactical Free Kicks</b> have been developedto deliver can be found below…</p> </div> <div>FIFA 13 | BIG Feature No. 5 = Tactical Free KicksElectronic Arts has announced five game-changing innovations that will bring revolutionary changes to EA SPORTS FIFA 13 along with the la…</div> <div>undefinedAkamaihd</div> <div><b><u>So does FIFA 13 “create the true battle for possession” we were promised?&nbsp;</u></b><b><u><br></u></b><b><br></b><b>Player Impact Engine</b> <p><br></p> <p>The goal in FIFA 13 was to tune the Impact Engine and tointroduce some nice new features such as “push and pull” and “using your body”to provide a more controlled player interaction engine.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The new push and pull feature is great to tap or hold&lt;B&gt; to pull your opponent and disrupt their flow.&nbsp; Do it too much and you could receive a yellowcard and give away a free kick/penalty.&nbsp;You can now effectively use your body to disrupt the progress of youropponent.&nbsp; These features have to be usedsparingly and at the right time otherwise you may be pulled up by the ref.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Full details on what the&nbsp;<b>Player Impact Engine</b>&nbsp;has been developed to deliver can be found below…&nbsp;<br></p> </div> <div>FIFA 13 | BIG Feature No. 4 = Player Impact EngineElectronic Arts has announced five game-changing innovations that will bring revolutionary changes to EA SPORTS FIFA 13 along with the la…</div> <div>undefinedAkamaihd</div> <div><b>1st Touch Control</b> <p><br></p> <p>This is a game changing feature which now detaches the ballfrom the player and is very noticeable.&nbsp;Probably a little too hot in this build but definitely emphasises whatit has introduced to the game.&nbsp; Nowplayers no longer kill the ball dead on their first touch.&nbsp; Now it is much more realistic as your playerreceives the ball and you hope their first touch will be impeccable.&nbsp; Inevitably the players are now human andtheir first touch is not always perfect.&nbsp;Sometimes it will just be a small bobble away from them and sometimes itwill be quite a severe knock on where they will lose the ball to the opponent.</p> <p><br></p> <p>My favourite moment with this new feature was where I wasChelsea and I attacked down the left wing.&nbsp;As I cut in I got Mata to make a run from the edge of the box and as hereceived the ball his first touch meant the ball chipped up in the air.&nbsp; As the ball came down he joyfully volleyed ithome for a cracking goal.&nbsp; Not exactlyplanned but on this occasion the lack of Mata’s first touch came to his rescue.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Full details on what <b>1st Touch Control</b>&nbsp;has been developed to deliver can be found below…&nbsp;&nbsp;<br></p> </div> <div>FIFA 13 | BIG Feature No. 3 = First Touch ControlElectronic Arts has announced five game-changing innovations that will bring revolutionary changes to EA SPORTS FIFA 13 along with the la…</div> <div>undefinedAkamaihd</div> <div> <h2>In Summary</h2> <div>&nbsp; &nbsp; <p>So did I enjoy playing this early build of FIFA 13 and doesit deliver a new freedom and creativity in attack and provide true battles forpossession?&nbsp; I certainly did and yes andyes.&nbsp; I had a great day playing the gamefor the first time and just can’t wait to get my hands on it again.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Looking at my original notes, I think you can tell what Ireally enjoyed the most about this build of FIFA 13:</p> <p>-&nbsp;Off ball runs are much more effective</p> <p>-&nbsp;Through balls more accurate and so verysatisfying</p> <p>-&nbsp;Van Persie accelerated across defenders to score– yummy!</p> <p>-&nbsp;Flick on headers are much more effective andaccurate</p> <p><br></p> <p>Not long now until E3, when we look forward to see what EA willdisclose next about FIFA 13.&nbsp; But if thegameplay improvements are anything to go by, whatever they do to the differentmodes, they will all benefit from the new gameplay intelligence on the pitch.</p> </div> </div> <div>undefinedAkamaihd</div> <div> <h2>Question Time</h2> <div>We will bring you the answers to the following questions we posed to Dave Rutter ASAP: <p><br></p> <p>Q: Gameplay Tuning – will this be available as a DLC post release?</p> <p><br></p> <p>First Touch<br></p> <p>-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Q: Will this be manageable via sliders?</p> <p>-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Q: What are the plans for balancing this across players in the lower leagues so they can still at least control the ball?<br></p> <p><br></p> <p>Q: If attackers are thinking 2 steps ahead, how many stepsahead are defenders thinking?<br></p> <p><br></p> <p>Q: Has pressure in midfield been decreased?<br></p> <p><br></p> <p>Q: What is being done about taking control of the keeper?<br></p> </div> </div> <div> <h2>Other&nbsp;Reviews&nbsp;from the Event</h2> </div> <div>#FIFA13’s new gameplay features, and what you can do now to get a headstart http://www.ea.com/uk/news/ea-sports-fifa-13-backpageDarren Cross</div> <div>FIFA 13 Hands-on Impressions w/Sabre0001 (FIFA 13) Sportsmachinimasports</div> <div>FIFA 13: Predicting the unpredictable. Why the new gameplay in @EASportsFIFA is worth getting to grips with http://go.ign.com/JP1S5gIGN UK</div> <div>[New] FIFA 13 Playtest – We Want Your Questions http://bit.ly/JtqVti #FSBFIFASoccerBlog</div> <div>Hey folks. My FIFA 13 preview is now online! http://clickonline.com/games/preview–fifa-13/10191/ Any Q’s, fire away! RTs appreciated.Mark O’Beirne</div> <div>FIFA 13 hands-on impressions! Includes new ball control, better heading, over-the-line-or-not controversy. Enjoy. http://www.officialplaystationmagazine.co.uk/2012/05/30/fifa-13-ps3-preview-hands-on-impressions/OPM_UK</div> <div>FIFA 13 Hands-On Preview http://bit.ly/LGqAaMGodisaGeek</div> <div>FIFA 13 : FSB France vous livre ses impressions ! RT – http://bit.ly/KGVwpSFSB France</div> <div>Hands on with FIFA 13 and a closer look with David Rutter http://bit.ly/KbHEXWJoe Anderson</div> <div>#FIFA13 hands on http://bit.ly/KGVhLwFIFA Benelux</div>